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Month: May 2017

The Cost of thinking

Apes are our closest living relatives. In fact, people are apes; humans share about 98 percent of their DNA with chimpanzees, looking at some people that is pretty obvious! Sorry Howler Monkey. What can we learn from the Apes and at what cost is our higher intelligence and brain to us? Follow on below…………….

Spot the difference ? Donald Trump Howler Monkey

Apes are divided into two groups: great apes — gorillas, bonobos, chimpanzees and orangutans — and lesser apes — gibbons and siamangs.

Cute Chimp

Well lets look back 2.5 Million years to our early relatives

3.5 feet tall

Used Stone tools and fire

Grunts for communications and drawings

Worked together for the tribe

They lived in family structures and looked after each other including the old.

Neanderthal Family

Present day

5 Feet 10

We now use complicated tools made of all sorts of materials with lots of gadgets

Average vocabulary of around 20,000 words.

We do work together BUT also Create wars and kill each other.

Family migration whereby families move away from so we lack a support network.

Modern Day family ?

Progress or Not? (Time for Debate)

We have TV, Phones, Computers, Satellites, we have been into space, have extreme poverty, extreme wealth, found cures to illness, created illness, eat ourselves to an early grave, and have starvation. What a contrast to the simple life of the Ape; Eat, sleep, live in family groups and look after each other, they play, and have sex to produce young for the next generation.

We have forgotten the simple pleasure of life

With our so called higher intelligence, we have created a world so complex with constant simulation surrounding us in our instant culture, that we have forgotten the simple pleasure of life. There is so much pressure in our society, and also what we put onto ourselves ; are we successful enough, do I look good, I am getting older, grey hair, wrinkles, is my car the latest model, am I too thin/fat/short/tall the list goes on. Some progress is great, who would be without a washing machine? Horrid thought specifically with teenage boys! But do we need the latest skin cream, hair lotion, wrinkle fix, big house with its big bills, flash cars with fuel cost?

DO we need this ?

Truth Time (Deep Breath)

Personally I have had it all, or so I though! I bought into everything that would make me happy and that society said I should aspire too, or I fooled myself I needed! : Married into the wrong sex, successful job with a large salary, big house, cars, private schools, best of everything…… was I happy? NO I was depressed, stressed, with something missing in my life but I didn’t know what (Sound familiar?) ……. It was all an empty pleasure a quick fix.

What makes us happy?

What did it for me was going back to basics, not by choice but was forced too from circumstances, and it taught me a valuable lesson LESS IS MORE. Now I de-clutter at a blink of a eye, do not shop unless I have too or am forced too, sleep the best I ever have and don’t get depressed, I have been refereed to by my friends as one of the most positive and happy people they know.

Golden Handcuffs

We give ourselves what I like to refer to as ‘Golden Handcuffs’. Yes our higher brains and amazing intelligence has helped the world BUT it also comes at a price. We now tend to Love the things that cost the most and undervalue the things that are free. Somewhere along the way we have lost our way. From those simple days under trees looking up to the sky and fluffy clouds making animals shapes with our imagination. Laying on the grass and smelling its fresh scent and observing the wonder of nature all around us. We need to get back to our roots take example from our ancestors relax breath and take a break. Refresh those extreme manic batteries of ours and pause.